Books, Blogs, Authors and More discussion

OK - so 'Fantasy' won the genre vote for our March read-in.

If you are an author, and a member of our group, and write within the fantasy genre you can now 'pitch' your book in this thread for readers to choose from. (As part of this process you need to be prepared to supply free e-copies of your book to the participating readers, similar to other ARR systems, in time for the reading month to start).

Readers interested in taking part should comment in the same thread on the books they like the look of to give us 2 - 3 'finalists' to be voted for to select the final 'Book of the Month'.

Authors - To help us along in selecting a book, please only post your nomination as:

ONE sentence on why we should choose your book
The book cover (using the Goodreads insert feature)
The book synopsis (as it appears on Goodreads)

Dragon Fate, a book that works well as a standalone but that is also the opening of a complete series, is a light, fun, read with engaging characters you won't need a scorecard to keep track of.



Dragon Fate, the first book in J.D. Hallowell's War of the Blades series, is a heroic fantasy adventure in the classic tradition of the genre.

Delno Okonan is a young former soldier eager to put the swords and strife of war behind him, when a chance encounter leaves him inextricably entwined in a tangled web of dragons, magic, and intrigue, as he struggles to find his place among dragons and men, and stave off a plot by renegade dragon riders that threatens all he now holds dear.

Reason: It is an epic fantasy-adventure quest for all ages.



Synopsis:

When Dark Warriors invade her country, it is up to Princess Kamarie to seek out the legendary king’s warrior and request his aid. The feisty princess has spent her life dreaming of adventure and is thrilled to be tasked with such a quest. There’s only one thing that can dampen the princess’s excitement: Oraeyn. The squire views his task of protecting the princess on her journey as an inglorious assignment and makes no attempt to hide his disappointment. Despite a rocky start to their journey - in which Oraeyn throws the obnoxious princess in a river just to get her to call him by name - the travelers soon learn that they must depend upon one another if they are to locate the man they have been sent to find.

The adventure merely begins when they meet Brant: a warrior with a mysterious past. He joins their cause readily, his heart smoldering with a vendetta Kamarie cannot completely understand. But whether she trusts him or not, the hope of their world rests on the steel he wears at his side.... 

Reason: A new exciting fantasy adventure told from the point of view of not just mortals but dragons as well.
This is the first installment of three.



Deep within the mortal world of Eiddoril, war rages and the blood of innocents flows freely. Once ruled by the four elements—Earth, Fire, Water and Air—Eiddoril was a peaceful, beautiful land. Now, after three hundred years of being ravaged by an evil lord and abandoned by their true gods, the people and land of Eiddoril are dying.

In the kingdom of Gareth, an orphan girl is raised as one of the royal family. But when she begins to have vivid nightmares of a past that is not hers, she cannot help but wonder if she is somehow a part of that past. But how? Her questions lead her to Fitch, an old magic user, who helps her discover a shocking truth. Karah is not human, but instead part of a long-forgotten race charged with the responsibility of saving her realm. Armed with a desire to seek the truth, Karah sets out on a dangerous quest to defeat a deadly enemy.

In this fantasy tale, Karah must somehow find the strength to fulfill a destiny that has the potential to forever silence the dragon within. She cannot fail. The future of the world depends on her.

Reason: Meet Ariel, a High Witch, and her love Brayden as he helps train her to use her powers against a warlock bent on capturing her.



Ariel is a High Witch, one of the most powerful witches in the world. There are only three like her in existence. She finally learns who she is, but immediately has to flee from a malicious warlock, out to claim her for his own. With Brayden, her new love by her side, she attempts to outwit the warlock, and the High Witch who protects him. But what will she do if she has to go through 'The Test'? This is a NOVELLA of approximately 25,000 words.

Reason: A new release following a narrator's dangerous voyage into the bowels of Hell itself to rescue a wrongly-damned soul.



Alanna Sharpe is going to Hell …

In hiding for half a year after discovering her father Cole Sharpe has become General Tyrelius Scolar, her feared enemy, she is brought back into the fold of the insurgency against the New Empire of America by Gabe Francis … a man she distrusts because of his habit of holding back vital information.

Her friends still support her in her mission to reunite her family, but that mission takes an unexpected turn when the insurgents capture Scolar. Gabe reveals to Alanna that Scolar is indeed Cole, but is also simply a body lacking its original soul, that of her father.

In a quiet moment, alone with the comatose body, Alanna catches snippets of a message.

“Find me …”

The search for her father’s soul will cross over many planes of existence, from the world of the living to the mystical realm of Avalon, ultimately leading into the Inferno of Hell. Led through the many circles of damnation by a former family enemy-turned-guide, Alanna must now endure all of Hell’s torments and follow her father’s path if she ever wants to be reunited with him.

To have any chance of reuniting her family, Alanna must bring her father back from damnation’s grasp.

Jenelle wrote: "Reason: It is an epic fantasy-adventure quest for all ages.



Synopsis:

When Dark Warriors invade her country, it is up to Princess Kamarie to seek out the lege..."

This one looks good!

Flying horses, rebellious teens, and poison--something here for everyone. (This is actually historical fiction with flying horses. Light on the magic--heavy on teen relationships and coming of age)



synopsis:

In Tremeirchson, a barn leader’s children are expected to follow their parents into the sky, becoming riders of the winged horses that are the medieval Welsh village’s legacy. Neither Emma nor Davyd, however, want to follow that tradition.
Sixteen-year-old Emma risks losing her family by following her heart. She not only loves a rival’s colt, but a rival’s son as well. Or perhaps both of his sons, since she can’t make up her mind between Evan, the exciting but insensitive brother, or Davyd, the dependable one. She is drawn to the love and support of their family, so different from her own, where nothing she does will ever be good enough.
Davyd, also sixteen, is plagued with a secret—he is afraid of heights. He reluctantly prepares to join his family aloft in the Aerial Games that provide the entire village with its livelihood, since refusing to become a rider would mean public humiliation, his parents’ disappointment, and his brother Evan’s lifelong ridicule.
Already eighteen and a junior rider in his father’s barn, Evan’s ideas are tolerated with a smile. Passionate about his winged horse, Emma, and the future of his family’s barn, he is determined to gain the respect of the other riders.
Meanwhile, the winged horses begin to die. The adults hesitate, mired in politics and tradition as Tremeirchson’s very reason for existence is threatened. Someone must devise a course of action before all the winged horses in the world are gone forever.

Thomas wrote: "Reason: It is exciting, thought provoking, and its an introduction to a new relatable MC.



Synopsis: As far back as Alan Quinn can remember, his family has been..."




Awesome!

Linda wrote: "Flying horses, rebellious teens, and poison--something here for everyone. (This is actually historical fiction with flying horses. Light on the magic--heavy on teen relationships and coming of age)..."

This one looks amazing!!! :)

I won't join you in re-reading Dragon Fate as I read it not long ago, but I would say it is very good if that is any help:)

Infernal Eighteen sounds good, although I wonder as it is book #4 in the series if you would be missing something by not starting with book #1. Otherwise On a Wing & a Dare sounds good to me as well. Either way, I can say this is not a genre I would normally chose to read, so I'm excited to be exposed to something new for this read-in. :-)

If dreams are considered fantasy, I'd like to nominate Night Sea Journey. Ebook only: mobi or epub file (or pdf)

Fantasy readers would like this story because the dream world is full of strange illusions and totally other worldly, especially when the dream becomes the reality in the waking world.



Synopsis:
There’s no such thing as a dream within a dream. Poe was wrong. Dreams are deep shadows between reality and illusion. In the haunted Abasteron House, artist Kip Livingston dreams of a mysterious winged being, all bone and muscle and greedy teeth plunged out. Until one night when her dreams break through the illusion and the nightmares become reality.

The characters:
Kip Livingston is a stunning young artist living alone in Abasteron House on Horn Island, painting her dreams every day. But inside this antique house by the sea, another power rules her nights. What does this fierce winged creature want? Is it haunting her from the secrets of her past … or for her destiny?

Raymond Kera, a priest exiled to Horn Island, falls for the seductive Kip Livingston but risks his own sanity when her nightmares invade his dreams. Raymond knows these dark angels who dominate and the demons of his past—the road to hell is paved with the skulls of priests. With his vows violated, Ray must choose between God and the human love he so desperately desires.

Garcia the Prophet, Raymond’s mentor, has firsthand experience with the alternate consciousness of dream power. Garcia is a rebellious visionary, possessed by a mystical power and the all-consuming desires of deceit, power, and murder. This conflict propels him to abandon all he loves and seek heaven or hell.

On Horn Island, inside Abasteron House ... a tale of the supernatural where the night journey ends beneath the ghost-grey sea.

Thomas wrote: "Reason: It is exciting, thought provoking, and its an introduction to a new relatable MC.



Synopsis: As far back as Alan Quinn can remember, his family has been..."

I think this looks good too

Angel wrote: "Infernal Eighteen sounds good, although I wonder as it is book #4 in the series if you would be missing something by not starting with book #1. Otherwise On a Wing & a Dare sounds good to me as wel..."

There's enough backstory presented in the first chapter to bring most readers up to speed, so you won't be lost if it's the first book you read in the series.

Reason: Rise of the Aligerai has a bit of adventure, a bit of romance, lots of magic and surprises, all of which makes it a fun read.

(I'm not sure I'm inserting the cover in correctly, can anyone see it?)

Description: When a mysterious new friend reveals the existence of a world called Corá, mage Sita Newbury and her college roommates must protect both Earth and Corá from soul-stealing occultists or face the destruction of both worlds.


It's permanently available for free download on Amazon and Smashwords.

Thanks for all your pitches / comments - the nomination for March read is now closed. Selected books can be viewed in the poll.